GEORGE ALDERTON FEMALE CO-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Senior Beth Rohl, who will leave Michigan State as the best female thrower in school history, earned top national and conference honors for the both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Kicking off her senior season, Rohl earned the honor of 2013 Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning a gold medal in the weight throw competition with a then career-best mark of 22.17 meters/72-9 feet to set a new school record. It marked the second Big Ten Indoor title of her career in the weight throw, as she claimed her first indoor weight throw title in 2009.

The New Buffalo, Mich., native ended her indoor career with a bang, winning a silver medal at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw. For the third time in the 2013 season, Rohl broke her own school record and the 73-feet mark with a throw of 22.31m/73-2½. Though she entered the competition ranked third in the country, Rohl surpassed the second-ranked athlete in the nation with her record-setting mark. It was her third trip to the national indoor championship meet and the highest finish of her career.

Building on the stellar indoor season, Rohl recently won her fifth career Big Ten title in the discus among a highly competitive field at the 2013 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. As the Big Ten discus record holder, she earned her fifth Big Ten outdoor medal of her career.

Rohl graduates as the school-record holder in the weight throw (22.31m/73-2½), the hammer throw (62.87m/206-3) and the discus (56.85m/186-6). For her accomplishments at the national championships, she is a three-time outdoor USTFCCCA First-Team All-American and four-time indoor All-American.

A breakout Spartan in 2009, Rohl was named Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year after winning the weight throw with a toss of 19.06m (62-6 ½) and became the first Spartan since Susan Francis in 1991 to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Rohl also was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, becoming the first freshman in school history to earn All-Big Ten Indoor honors.

Adding to her conference honors, Rohl was chosen as the 2011 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Spartan to ever be named Big Ten Athlete of the Year or Big Ten Athlete of the Championships in either track or field.

Rohl represented Michigan State at the 2012 Olympic Trials, qualifying for the finals in the discus throw with a personal record 57.82m/189-8.

She also competed at the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships. As the top American finisher, she captured the bronze medal as a member of the United States Junior National Team with a distance of 54.24m/177-11 in the hammer throw.

Rohl is set to leave Michigan State on a high note as she is seeded No. 2 in the discus throw at the 2013 NCAA Championships. It is her fourth and final trip to the national meet, as she finished a career-high fourth in the discus in 2012. With the chance of a national title a large possibility, Rohl is set to compete in the event on Thursday, June 6 at 5 p.m. ET in Eugene, Ore.

"I think this is a well-earned honor for Beth," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Walt Drenth. "I really believe that her earning this cooperatively with Caroline Powers is appropriate. Beth is the Big Ten record holder in the discus and historically, that's a pretty competitive group. To be the best person ever in the Big Ten says a lot. It represents her senior year, but it also represents her career here in some respects because she has consistently gotten better and consistently led not only the Big Ten but also the nation in the events that she's competed in. We're really proud of Beth's accomplishments."